Cedarwood Forest Oops!

<i>M</i>inutes seemed like hours to the freezing pup. As he felt his body being pulled by Vlar, he did his best to shift his weight back onto his feet so that he could walk, rather than force Vlarindara to pull him, but, once again, his legs would simply not cooperate and the most help that he could give her was helping to go over small roots or other debris. He did his best not to whine at the small scrapes that were incurred during his transportation since he knew that Vlar was doing the best that she could.

F<i>a</i>ilures at fishing were one thing, but this monumental mistake had turned out to be significantly more serious than his normal blunder. Even he could see that. He felt their progress halt for a moment and turned his head to see Vlar moving away from him. He gave a small whine, but quickly forced himself to stop. <i>Vlar won't abandon me like the others did. She won't,</i> he told himself. He trusted her and that was that. A moment or two later and his faith was rewarded as she returned, took hold of his scruff once again and resumed pulling him, though she stopped just beside a fallen tree with a small hole beneath it, which Vlar was busily making bigger. Finally, she returned to him once more and pulled him down into the hole.

Ad<i>j</i>usting his body in the cramped quarters so that both he and Vlar could fit was no easy task when he could not even feel his legs or tail, but, with a little bit of help, the two were soon curled up together, sharing warmth. His shivering had decreased slightly, but his body still quivered and he could not stop it. Light squeaks of whines escaped with each breath as he lay in the small dug-out shelter, curled up against Vlarindara's body.

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To say that she was worried for the pup was an understatement, but she WAS worried...terrified for his safety even. The white wolf had done her best to lick away the excess water on his coat, while at the same time, doing her best to keep him as warm as possible. The breeze blowing into the small hole was chilling at her back, but she knew that her bulk would keep it *mostly* sealed off from the wet male. Every few minutes, she would shift just slightly, nudging him encouragingly with her nose, or settling closer, or into a more comfortable position.

"Keep your wits about you, Raigo.. You'll be fine." She had often whispered words of encouragement to her charge while she waited for their coats to dry. It hadn't really helped that they were melting into the earth, but thankfully, the drought just before winter left the ground she'd dug into thirsty. Thankfully, the water dripping from their coats wasn't turning the dirt below into mud.. not yet at least. She had shivered before when the wind hit her, simply because her fur was wet, but as it dried, she shivered less and less, and simply managed to endure it later.

She had thought of clambering out of the small hole and calling to let Borden know they'd changed their location.. but she wasn't sure how long she could leave Raigo alone. The female shifted her head and nosed into his fur, smiling at the drier feel of the strands. "How are you feeling?"

<i>E</i>very time Vlar nudged him or settled herself tighter against him, Raigo did his best to give her an encouraging sign, be it a nudge of his own or a wag of his tail or something. He did not want her to worry too much about him. After all, she had been in that water, just the same. He kept trying to snuggle back, further into her warmth, but could only go so far without pushing her out of their little shelter.

A<i>v</i>erage wolves would have been fine with the freezing water and chilled air, but Vlar and Raigo were no average wolves. He was a mutt with little in the way of muscle, although Vlar had done her best to see that he was never lacking for food. Vlarindara herself was weak from her recent illness, still, and who could guess the sort of effect that this exposure would have on her. Her soft words of encouragement did help Raigo believe that they would both be alright. He did not know if she knew that they would be fine or if she was just hoping, but it did not matter to him. Vlar said that he would be fine and so he would be.

Po<i>o</i>ling their body heat was working, he thought. At least, he did not feel quite as cold now as he did about ten minutes ago. He still shivered, but it had decreased to a small, almost vibrating of his muscles rather than large, shaking spasms. He gave a small wag of his tail when she nosed the fur on the back of his head again. "<i>How are you feeling?</i>" she asked him. He thought for a long moment before replying, wanting to make sure of his answer before he gave it. "I...I'm having trouble breathing," he said, his voice small and scared.

As a<i>m</i>orphous a thing as Raigo's feelings were, there was one thing that he recognized roiling in his chest. Fear. He was honestly afraid that he was dying. He had noticed that his nose was getting slightly hot and that stuff seemed to be coming out of it, but he was not sure what that meant, exactly. All he knew was that it was not normal and that even taking these short, shallow breaths was starting to hurt a little. "I'm scared, Vlar," he said, nuzzling his head upwards against hers.

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The comment about his breathing had frightened her, to say the least, but she refused to give up on the younger wolf. Vlarindara had noticed the fluid from his nose, but refused to say EXACTLY how badly that worried her - quite a lot, actually. She knew that the breathing had to be because of his time in the water - he'd been there quite a bit longer than she had. When he lifted his head to her, admitting his fear, she lowered her own and breathed warm air into his neck. He needed warmth - but she didn't know her chances of getting him the mile and a half back to their den.

She decided that she would try, when he had stopped shivering.. hopefully if he stopped shivering. "I know..I won't let anything happen to you... I promise." And she'd be damned if she did. Her head shifted, glancing over her shoulder at the small section of sky she could see before turning her attention back to her charge once more. He'd at first simply been a charge, a wolf she took care of, but he'd evolved into something more, in her mine.. more than a friend and a companion, but...she couldn't decide if he was like a son to her, or like a younger brother - perhaps both.. The wolf bit back her sigh and returned her head to bury her nose in his neck, breathing the warm air of her breath through his fur and close to his skin.

Vlarindara decided to wait until nightfall to see how he was doing. It would be colder at night.. but if she somehow blocked the entrance to the small hole with snow, or even brambles of some kind - it would block the wind somewhat. She knew their oddly heated den wasn't that far away, she could reach it in a relatively short amount of time if she pushed herself. Granted, her speed now wasn't anything like she could run when she was better - but for now, it would do. She continued to breathe into his neck against his skin in an attempt to warm him as her mind raced. If she could just get him back to the den, he would benefit from the warmth, and she knew the game around that small area.. she could catch him something to eat...

It was nearly torture, her mind warring with her heart, her heart warring with her fear. She refused to leave him to die..but she couldn't not leave him in an effort to find food - that would condemn them both. The she wolf had decided - their best bet was to get him back to the other den. "Raigo... at first light, we will see how you feel, and if you can walk, we'll start back to the den....it will be warmer there for you.. and easier to protect." And she didn't have to worry about him freezing if she went to hunt, she would just have to ensure that he had *STAYED* in the den.. which she highly doubted he'd be capable of much gallivanting for the time being anyway.

<i>N</i>uzzled his head against Vlar's body, feeling her radiating warmth begin to penetrate his skin. However, he still could feel fear seeping through his body, combating the warmth that Vlar provided with her body. Her reassurances comforted the pup, but there was still that shadow in the back of his mind that told him that he might not survive this. He whimpered softly and curled up even tighter.

R<i>i</i>ght now, all that Raigo wanted to do was to be able to breath and go to sleep. But he did his best to stay calm and keep his breathing steady. That seemed to help with the pain. When he started to breath fast, the pain seemed to get worse, so he kept his mouth open and breathed that way, even though it did make him a little cooler. Due to the drainage in his nose, he could not breath very deeply through it, so he opted for mouth breathing.

As <i>w</i>arm air from from Vlar's breathing washed over his neck, Raigo forced himself to try to relax. Vlar was here and she would not let anything happen to him. She had said so herself. When she shared her plans for going back to the den, Raigo nodded. "I think I'll be alright, by then," he replied. He would make himself be alright by then. This hole was not big enough for both of them to be in and be comfortable, not to mention that it was not very protected from the weather, which Vlar was shielding him from using her own body. He knew that they had to go back to their old den. And soon.

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"Allright... Get some sleep, Raigo. I won't leave you until you wake up. We'll head back to the Den, then." Her tone was soft as she nuzzled her nose into his fur before pulling her head back and watching him, occasionally slipping her ears behind her, listening to the sounds outside the den. "I'll watch you tonight, Raigo.. I won't let anything happen to you..." And she had no intentions of doing so. Anything wanting at the sick pup would have to go through her.

Vlarindara settled in to watch him for the night, occasionally glancing out of their small exit, but mostly staying as close to him as she could get, breathing her warm breath into his fur. The night had to be the longest one in any that she remembered.. But she couldn't simply give up, or sleep it away -s he stayed awake with the sounds of the night, and her own fears. What if she couldn't help him? What if she didn't have the ability to take care of him if he were to be truly ill? The female knew that she *HAD* to do something.. HAD to help him.. no matter what it took.

Her musings continued to go down the different paths, down the possibility that she couldn't save him, not without an extreme amount of help - perhaps she could approach the Mountain Pack. She was no Medic.. but maybe one of those two might be. The others ranged to his eventual end, then to petitioning the Swift River pack - who she knew was larger than Bordens. Anything.. she would do *ANYTHING* to ensure his survival. That vehemence to her cause gave her courage and strength, and she knew then that if she had to run nonstop over the miles distancing their den to the mountains, she would.

The dawn came before she knew it, and she lowered her head, gently nudging the smaller pup. "Come, Raigo.. can you stand?" She was careful not to move until he woke, and then she would slowly back from the small burrow, using her hips and shoulders to push the snow that had accumulated over the night across the entrance away. Vlarindara did her best to keep him sheltered from the wind - despite the fact that they were both dry now.

<i>D</i>ifficulty breathing was one thing, but having to keep reminding himself that Vlar would not let him die began to take its toll on the pup. As she bid him goodnight, Raigo gave a small wag of his tail, as much to encourage her as to confirm that he had heard her. "Goodnight, Vlar," he said softly. Though he closed his eyes and tried to get his mind to go to sleep, the bliss of unconsciousness avoided him, save for little naps, here and there.

T<i>r</i>y as he might, Raigo could not seem to make himself go to sleep. Throughout the night, his breathing occasionally carried small, whiffling whines. But, for the most part, he was quiet. Even if he could not sleep, Vlar still needed her rest. She was sick, too. He hoped that she was not as sick as he was, but, then again, how much more impressive was she if she felt like he did and still did everything that she did?! That thought made his tail wag a little bit and, with a small sigh, he nuzzled his body back against hers, enjoying her warmth and the comfort that she gave him, simply by being there.

Pr<i>a</i>ctically before he even realized that there was light outside, he felt Vlar's nose nudge the back of his neck and her gentle words, asking if he could stand. "Yes," came his confident reply, even though he was still curled up inside the den. Once Vlar had cleared the way of snow and debris, Raigo wormed his way out of the hole, not even trying to get to his feet while still inside. However, when he was clear of the hole, he drew as deep of a breath as he could without hurting himself too badly, and forced his legs under him. Then, concentrating, he climbed to his feet, wobbled for a moment, and then stabilized, giving a few tail wags to show that he was okay.

His <i>c</i>areful steps were small and timid, at first. But then, after a few moments of practice, he achieved a fairly fluid gait, though it was not fast, by any stretch of the word. "I can do it," he said quietly, disbelievingly. "Vlar, I can do it!" He gave a small bark of sheer joy, though the sound faded into a whine at the end. "Ugh, that hurt."

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She smiled encouragingly at him when he got to his feet, taking a step towards him when he stumbled before he strengthened his stride. Her own bark of encouragement followed him as he walked around, but she grinned at him as she took a few steps towards him and nosed his muzzle. "Let's get as far as we can before you get too tired." She took a few hesitant steps before looking back at him and wagging her tail, giving him a low whine of encouragement.

He was doing so much better than she could have hoped for! That alone made her have more courage in herself, and trust that he really would be allright. The she wolf moved a few more steps before returning to his side and pacing next to him as they moved back towards the den. "There's no rush.. let's go at a walk, mm? Best to not push yourself too hard.. not yet." She was still worried for him, but she did her best to keep as close to him as possible without encroaching on his space.. But she made sure that he was close enough that she could catch him before he fell - if he fell.

<i>E</i>verything seemed to be spinning, slightly, when he first began to walk. However, after pausing for a moment, he made the forest stop spinning and resumed walking. At this point, he was only vaguely aware of Vlar's encouragement, since he was concentrating on getting one paw in front of the other (a significantly more difficult task with four of said paws than simply two).

A<i>m</i>bition was something that he knew he could not afford, at the moment. His shallow breathing was still somewhat painful and his nose was still warm and dripped foul tasting fluid down his snout and into his mouth. After a few moments of walking, he looked up at Vlar, who he found was standing right beside him, and wagged his tail happily. He had not really been certain that he would be able to get to his feet, going off of how he had felt last night.

Sc<i>a</i>ttered roots and sticks provided some obstacles for the uncoordinated young wolf, but he took his time and managed to get over all of them with only a little bit of help from Vlar from time to time. He thought that he was doing fairly well, but then he started to feel tired. They had traveled maybe two hundred feet when he started panting.

His <i>g</i>aping mouth could hardly draw in enough oxygen to feed his strained muscles and breathing deeper and faster only made his chest hurt. But he needed to keep going. Vlar needed to get back to the den. He stumbled slightly and his front paws crossed over themselves, tripping Raigo. He hit the ground and gave a frustrated growl as he started to force himself back up, but found that he could not. "I just...need to lay down...for a minute," he panted. "I'm sorry, Vlar." He turned his brown eyes up to regard her. "This is all my fault."

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"Hush.. You are doing beautifully.." She had moved next to him and nuzzled his cheek fur when he lay down, but knew that he couldn't stay on the snow forever. He'd just get wet again. "I'm a bite tired myself, I don't mind resting a bit." She wasn't tired at all, but the soft tone of her voice made it SOUND like she was.. just how she wanted it. She moved in to settle down beside him, swiping her tongue over his face and neck, doing her best to clean and encourage him.

She knew it was hard for him, but she also knew they simply *HAD* to keep moving. Their den was still a good distance away, and she knew that if they didn't make it before nightfall..she would have to find another hole to curl up in.. which she doubted she would be so lucky twice. She lifted her head and smiled at him, closing her eyes with a soft sigh as she settled into his side. "How are you doing, Raigo?" She refused to push him.. but the cold was only going to get worse.. and he couldn't afford to be colder. "I can try to carry you, if you wish?" She knew she'd do it regardless if he fell twice more anyway.. they couldn't afford to wait. She couldn't afford to LET him wait..until she got him back to the den.